History of Gdansk

1. Beginnings of the town

Gdańsk appeared in historical sources for the first time as urbs Gyddanzc over a thousand years ago in connection with the arrival of Christianizing mission of St Adalbert being on its way to Prussia in 997 A.D. Already then Gdansk was a town where people of different nationalities and religions used to meet. It was a Pomeranian town situated on the borders of pagan Prussia but the first settlement is dated on 2000 years b.c.

That time Gdańsk was a significant harbour settlement surrounded by powerful timber and earth fortifications. The excellent location of the town at the mouth of the Motlawa to the western branch of the mouth of the Vistula and also the fact that the town was a capital of the Pomeranian principality facilitated fast development of the town and harbour. A trade and mercantile suburb was created and Pomeranian prince Swietopelk granted it municipal laws (Lubeck laws) around the middle of 13^th century. Probably at that time two suburban town settlements existed - one concentrated around St Catherines church with the harbour situated at todays Targ Rybny (Fish Market) and the second covering the southern part of later Main Town with the harbour along the Motlawa between Zielona Brama (Green Gate) and Zuraw (the Crane).

Gdańsk was included in the unifying Polish Kingdom in 1294 as a result of a testament made by the last Gdańsk prince Msciwoj II bequesting the East Pomeranian Principality to the future king Przemyslaw II.

2. Period of the rule of the Teutonic Knights (1308 - 1454)

In 1308 the citizens of Gdansk opened the town gates for the Teutonic Knights. Destroyed by the Knights it was reestablished on the basis of Chelm laws in 1342 - 1346.

The town of Gdansk was not limited to Main Town invested in 1342-1346 but it also included Old Town (founded in 1377), Young Town (from 1380) and Osiek which was situated in the immediate vicinity of the Teutonic Knights castle. Suburbs of Old Suburb (Stare Przedmiescie) and Granary Island (Wyspa Spichrzow) developed to the south and east of the Main Town. Gdansk quickly grew rich on trading in grain and timber. At the beginning of 14^th century Gdansk did not belong to the top Hanseatic towns. In 1300 Gdansk had a population of a few thousand, Lubeck 15,000, Hamburg 5,000 and Bremen 12,000 (before 1350). However already in the middle of 14^th century the comparison of the traffic in the Hanseatic ports goes in favour of Gdansk - only Lubeck can match it and for instance Riga had the turnover fivefold lower.

After the defeat of the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald (Tannenberg) Gdansk went to Poland what resulted in later revenge of the Knights.

In the middle of 15^th century Gdansk was already a significant town in European standards. It was the largest of the Hanseatic towns with the population of 26,000. At that time Lubeck had 25,000, Hamburg 16,000, Stralsund 15,000, Rostock 14,000 and Elblag 10,000. Using its increasing demographic and industrial potential Gdansk started to play major part in influencing the politics of the region. It also plays significant part in Hanse.

A well known expert on history of Hanse professor Philippe Dollinger (La Hanse, 1970) writes about the distinctness of the Prussian towns in a following way: "Six Prussian Hanseatic towns - Gdansk, Elblag, Braniewo and Krolewiec (Konigsberg) on the coast and Chelmno and Torun on the Vistula - all had that particular trace that they all came under a ruler who was a member of Hanse himself, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. In 14^th century their dependance on the feudal principal was stronger than the dependance of any other Hanseatic town... In 1466 the towns laying on the Vistula came under the much softer rule of the Polish king."

Already from the beginning of 15^th century the interests of Gdansk and Hanse were often divergent and after 1457 Gdansk (thanks to Royal charters) became in fact (despite the superior authority of the Polish king) an independent subject of the European policy. This was accompanied by an incredible industrial expansion of Gdansk which multiplied the grain export and kept the position of the monopolist in the export of timber and its by-products. In 2^nd half of 15^th century Gdansk entered 1^st league of the European towns and Hanse started to decline.

The 13 year war, which led to Poland regaining of Gdansk Pomerania, Warmia, Zulawy and Ziemia Chelminska, was led by Poland to a large extent with the help of Gdansk money, army and fleet. Weighty contribution in maintaining the war led to Gdansk gaining weighty profits. Charters granted to Gdansk by the king Kazimierz Jagiellonczyk created the legal basis of Gdansk autonomy incomparable with other Polish towns.

3. In the Kingdom of Poland (1454 - 1793)

The factor which reinforced Gdansk from the industrial point of view after the 13 year war was connecting of the town with its Polish hinterland - due to this Gdansk emerged as the largest port in the Baltic Sea. Since then, i.e. the fall of 15^th and 16^th c. till 17^th c. the town became one of the key elements of the new economic order being created in Europe. The industrial and social changes in Western Europe caused increased demand of its towns on agricultural products (i.e.food). At the same time in Poland there appeared considerable grain surpluses. At that time Gdansk played a very significant part of a bridge connecting the Polish supply with the West European demand for grain. The great export of grain from Gdansk (up to 200,000 lasts per annum) enabled Western Europe easier switching to the capitalistic way of development.

The demographic increase of the town shows the best how dynamic the development of the town was: in the middle of 15^th c. Gdansk had a population of c.20,000, in 2^nd half of 16^th c. around 40,000, in 2^nd half of 16^th c. around 40,000 and in the middle of 17^th c. around 70,000. In 16^th and 17^th centuries Gdansk was the largest and wealthiest town in Poland and one of the largest in Europe (in 1620 it had a population of 70,000, for comparison Cologne - only 40,000). It attracted merchants, sailors, men of learning and artists from all over Europe. Among the Baltic towns only Copenhagen could compare with Gdansk. The fortifications that surrounded the town belonged to the strongest in Europe (in large extent they are preserved till today). The kings of Sweden Gustav Adolf, Charles X Gustav and Charles XII who maintained wars with Poland in 17^th and 18^th centuries did not even decide to undertake any serious attempts to break through them.. The famous siege of Gdansk in 1734 ended with the success of the besiegers only due to strategic and political factors and not military.

Very strong economic and political position of the town reinforced the feeling of independence of the citizens of Gdansk - characteristic was the fact of demolishing of the Teutonic Knights castle in 1454 after overthrowing their rule. In 16^th c. the power of the town constituted a serious problem for the Polish authorities. A fierce conflict with Zygmunt August, who tried to bring Gdansk under the central state authorities and also to create a naval base, turned in 1577 during the reign of Stefan Batory into an open war with the king and Poland. Despite apparent concessions the town emerged from those wars stronger and more independent.

In 18^th century the grain trade of Gdansk collapsed due to the Polish hinterland of Gdansk being destroyed by constant wars and also the directions of the grain trade changed. The commitment of Gdansk in defending the rights to the Polish throne for the king Stanislaw Leszczynski ended in the towns siege of the Russian-Saxon army in 1734 which led to the towns capitulation and a large contribution being levied by the victors. How big was the role of Gdansk in the awareness of people who ruled the then Europe shows in the successive attempts of Prussia to subdue the town. It did not succeed in it till the end of 18^th century not only due to the opposition of weakening Poland but also due to the constant opposition of the maritime states (England, Holland) and Russia (who wanted the town for herself). All those states fully appreciated economic, military and political significance of Gdansk and were afraid that annexing of the town by Prussia would lead to Prussias increase in power and difficulties in the Baltic trade. After 1^st partition of Poland in 1772 Gdansk stayed within the borders of Poland but was cut from its territory by Prussian territories and was harassed by the Prussian authorities.

At the time of Polish partitions (1772-1795) there was a moment when Poland had a chance to save its independence at a price of ceding Gdansk and Torun to Prussia. Irrespective of describing the actions of the Polish authorities at that moment as wrong or not it remains the fact that Gdansk was regarded as one of the most important jewels in the Polish Crown and its salvation was regarded as the highest political priority.

The strategic meaning of Gdansk was also appreciated by Napolen who turned it into a free town. After being incorporated into Prussia (1793 and again in 1814) there followed certain economic regress of the town but Gdansk still remained one of the most important fortresses in Europe.

As a result of 2^nd partition of Poland in 1793 Gdansk came under Prussian rule. Being an important Baltic fortress it was twice besieged during the Napoleonic wars (in 1807 and 1814) and the course of those sieges found its way to military handbooks.

In 19^th century the possibilities of Gdansk were limited by the peripherial within the borders of Prussia location of the town and also by being cut from its natural economic hinterland by duty system and transport barriers. The development of the Gdansk harbour and shipyard were additionally strongly hampered by the regions of building limitations connected with the fortress and including areas along the both banks of the Vistula down to its mouth.

In 1852 the first railway line from Bydgoszcz to Gdansk was constructed. At the end of 19^th century there took place quick development of the harbour and shipping industry (Kaiser and Schichaus shipyards) due to the partial demolition of the fortifications and development of Gdansk suburbs like Langfuhr (Wrzeszcz)

As a result of Versailles Treaty, 10th January 1920, Gdansk became Free City under the Protection of the League of Nations remaining in the same custom duty territory with Poland. In May 1922, the new constitution of Frei Stadt Danzig came into life, according to it, Frei Stadt Danzig was a republic, with its own parliamet - Volkstag and government - Senat. The borders were finally established in 1922 and they were 290 km long, including 55 km of seashore. The area of Frei Stadt Danzig was 1952 km² and was inhabited by over 350.000 citizens. On 22 September 1923 the monetary reform was made, the new currency in Frei Stadt Danzig became gulden divided on 100 pfenig. In February 1924 the Danziger Bank was officially opened.

6. 2^nd World War (1939 - 1945)

Contentions resulting from the problem of the nationality of Gdansk after 1^st World War show that the idea of the exceptional significance of the town was still alive among the European political circles. It resulted from the strategic location at the mouth of the Vistula, from the part that Gdansk still played in the Baltic trade and from the great cultural heritage of the town - magnificent modern town planning concept (with Mediaeval elements), splendor of the architecture (from Mediaeval to contemporary) and the unique climate of the town in which so much happened and where so many precious objects of art. were produced and collected. Gdansk became so important for both interested nations Poles and Germans that it entered their national mythology.

In 1945 Danzig was conquered by the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front Army Group. The war brought the ruin to the town and in particular to the historic centre. It was a tragedy spread in time. It started with artillery bombing and street fights in March 1945 and after that destruction made by the victorious Red Army during they plundered and burnt the town. The destruction continued during the autumn-winter storms of 1945/1946. Soon afterwards the whole territory of Free City of Danzig was given under the Polish administration.

The majority of Gdansk inhabitants escaped from the approaching front. It was mainly old people, women and children that remained. During the next few years they were expelled to Germany. Almost entire exchange of population took place - people repatriated from the East and people from Pomerania and central Poland took place of the Germans. A few thousand of the native Gdansk citizens originated mainly from the pre-war Polish colony.

The reconstruction of the monumental centre in its historical shape was not decided - there were plans to build a modern town. Luckily the concept of the reconstruction of the town in its historical shape won though some serious mistakes were made - for instance the remaining elements of the buildings were not sufficiently used in the reconstruction.

The town grew quickly - in 1950 it reached about 195,000 inhabitants, in 1960 287,000 and in 1980 about 457,000. The shipyards were being developed - Northern (Polnocna), Gdansk and Repair (Remontowa). In 1970s Gdansk Rafinery and North Harbour (Port Polnocny) were built. Once again Gdansk became the biggest port in the Baltic.

It would seem that the town raising itself from the ruin and inhabited mainly by new population would not be able to play so important part as before. However it turned that what Gdansk and its inhabitants achieved after 2nd World War could have been even bigger contribution in the towns history than its up to then achievements. After the bloody suppression of "the December events in 1970 the strikes in the Gdansk Shipyard and in other plants in Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot in August 1980 led to creating the first in the Soviet Empire free trade union "Solidarity" (Polish: NSZZ "Solidarnosc"). That led to the overthrow of the communism in 1989 and regaining the independence by Poland and later by the remaining satellite states of the Soviet Union. The break of the communist system keeping the whole world at bay was not of course done solely by the inhabitants of Gdansk. The workers and intellectuals gathered in the Gdansk Shipyard in summer of 1980 found the way to defuse the "bomb" from the inside without touching the fuse and without an explosion - the process of the dismantling of the world communist system started in Gdansk.

Nowadays Gdansk has a population of 464,000. There is the seat of national NSZZ "Solidarnosc", of seven Higher Schools including the University and the Technical University. It is a significant economic centre and also a tourist attraction on a European scale. In 1994 by the Presidents regulation it was granted the status of the historical monument.